Who could ever leave me, darling?
New AP Taylor Swift Podcast episode, a deep dive on "The Archer," out now!
“But who could stay?” This week we go in deep on track 5 from The Archer. What does it mean to be ready for combat? Or throw out speeches? Who is the “you” in this song? We started out this episode with more questions than answers, but maybe (maybe??) ended up in a better spot by the end. Tune in to this week’s episode to go on a journey with us as we try to unpack this surreal and complex song!
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Oh track #5. For anyone who may be a more casual Swiftie or newer to this world, you may be wondering why it matters that “The Archer” is track #5 on Lover. Obviously, Taylor is thoughtful about how she curates her albums, but why does this specific number hold so much meaning? Well track #5 on each album tends to be the most vulnerable, heartbreaking track on the album (although I think TTPD has a lot of contenders for most heartbreaking track).
As an OG Swiftie, I never really questioned this tradition. It was always a known thing, so I wanted to look into how this started and whether it was always intentional. According to TIME, in an Instagram Live that Taylor did before the release of Lover, she shared, “As I was making albums I guess I was just kind of putting a very vulnerable, personal, honest, emotional song as track five.” So it sounds like it was coincidental to start, then she noticed the pattern with Red, and it was more intentional to continue the tradition after that point.
Since we discussed “The Archer” this week, I thought it would be interesting to revisit the track #5s from all of her albums. I won’t go in too deep, but seeing them all at once is interesting to see the pattern of heartbreak and how her idea of vulnerability and heartbreak has grown over time.
“Cold As You” - Debut/Self-Titled Album Taylor Swift
First of all, I’m so excited for the Taylor’s Version of this album. This song (and all of them) in her more mature voice will be so good. Unfortunately, we do not ease into these tracks. She starts off with straight-up pain right off the bat: You never did give a damn thing, honey / But I cried, cried for you / And I know you wouldn't have told nobody if I died, died for you / Died for you.
This song explores a relationship of some kind where the speaker was all in and worked hard and the other person was incredibly cold and cruel. Someday we will deep dive this song, but it’s one that I think could apply to a lot of types of relationships, which only adds to its heartbreak factor in my opinion.
White Horse - Fearless
This song we discussed on our Animal Studies episode, so revisit that if you want more on this one! Here are some of the lyrics that I find the most devastating though: My mistake, I didn't know to be in love / You had to fight to have the upper hand.
Dear John - Speak Now
Let’s just start with some lyrics here: Dear John / I see it all now. It was wrong / Don't you think nineteen's too young to be played / By your dark twisted games?
This song plays with the idea of a Dear John letter, which is something that originated in World War II when a woman would write to a man to end their relationship. And it’s devastating. It’s also over six minutes long, so you really just sit in the pain. Thanks, Taylor.
All Too Well - Red
This album, and this song in particular, is when the track 5 tradition was cemented. “All Too Well” is well regarded as one of her most poetic songs and one that many fans find incredibly relatable. This is one of those songs where every lyric seems to speak to people. So I apologize if I don’t pick your favorites, but here are the lyrics I find the most painful: you kept me like a secret / but I kept you like an oath.
I promise we will get to the 10-minute version of this on the pod sometime!
All You Had To Do Was Stay - 1989
I think the music of this song makes it seem less heartbreaking to me, but we still get lyrics like “People like you always want back the love they gave away” and “Then why'd you have to go and lock me out when I let you in?” So definitely not a pain-free listening experience.
Delicate - reputation
What I love about this song is that it is incredibly vulnerable, but not in a heartbreak way. Rather it’s vulnerable from the point of view of someone who is falling in love or has a crush. We get lyrics such as “Is it cool that I said that? / Is it chill that you’re in my head?” This song has a lot of questions, which adds to the sense of being unsure and nervous. A different take on the track 5 tradition, but I love it!
The Archer - Lover
Check out our episode from this week for all of our thoughts on this one!!
my tears ricochet - folklore
Every line of this song is art. This may be my favorite song lyrically on this whole list. It gives us just stabs to the heart with lines like “You wear the same jewels that I gave you / As you bury me” and “I didn't have it in myself to go with grace / And you're the hero flying around, saving face / And if I'm dead to you, why are you at the wake?”
I always read this song as the ultimate betrayal. Someone takes advantage of you, hurts you, then acts like they were never the bad guy. Romantic or not, this experience cuts deep.
tolerate it - evermore
This song we also discuss in our episode on Toxic Relationships, so check that out for more. But it has the devastating line “I know my love should be celebrated / But you tolerate it.”
You’re On Your Own Kid - Midnights
Similar to “Delicate,” this song is still incredibly vulnerable but in a different way. In fact, in the bridge, this song becomes truly triumphant. You see the turn in these lines: “I looked around in a blood-soaked gown / And I saw something they can't take away”
Being in a blood-soaked gown is a result of everything else that happened earlier in the song, yet she has a moment where everything turns. It’s still a painful song in that it records so many heartbreaks and painful moments personally and professionally, but it resolves in a way that acknowledges the good that came from that pain.
So Long, London - The Tortured Poets Department
Ok so don’t come at me, but I would categorize this song as another one that is more vulnerable than deep pain. Pain is definitely here, but this song (again, to me) is more of an honest reflection and a goodbye. We get pain in “I stopped CPR, after all it's no use / The spirit was gone, we would never come to,” but we also have “Had a good run / A moment of warm sun / But I'm not the one.”
Many of these other songs feel like they are in the moment of something being painful, but this song feels like a reflection of the pain. Looking back at it, not being deep in it. It’s still deeply vulnerable and sad, but it just feels like it is also a bit more mature? It’s still a newer song, we will see how I feel in a few months!
How Did It End? - TTPD The Anthology
Is the second half of TTPD The Anthology its own album or not? I have no idea, but this song is rough, so we are including it. The story of this song is about how after a break-up, everyone wants to know how things ended. I personally am fortunate enough to not have had many breakups in my life, but having to relive the breakup a million times in the weeks after is awful.
You see that in this line: “Say it once again with feeling / How the death rattle breathing / Silenced as the soul was leaving.” Having to say it “once again” is so painful, and using the metaphor of a body dying emphasizes the pain of having to relive that moment over and over again.
Track Fives Across The Albums
If you just don’t want to feel any happiness today, here is a random stranger’s Spotify playlist of all of the track 5 songs:
What I’m curious about is whether there is any other pattern with track numbers that you’ve noticed? I’ve seen some theories about track #9, but nothing compelling. Let us know in the comments if you have any theories!